Then we are sure that COACH ABROAD will provide you with an unforgettable experience! Because: Not only will you and your personality grow, but sport is also an important factor in the sustainable development of children and young people in disadvantaged communities. Live a formative time abroad with valuable experiences that will stay with you forever.
Personal development ★ Intercultural exchange ★ Getting to know different traditions ★ Making an important contribution ★ Building self-confidence ★ Gain new perspectives
Your motivation for volunteering in sport
When you decide to volunteer abroad with COACH ABROAD, it is important that you are clear about your motivation.
Only if you are passionate about what you are doing will you have a fulfilling time volunteering abroad. You may simply want to use your sporting skills to help other people and make a positive contribution. Or maybe you want to develop your personal skills and knowledge in a particular area, or simply try something new.
Especially in disadvantaged and rural communities, not only in many African countries, sport is still treated like a stepchild. Whatever your motivation, it is important that it comes from within and is not dictated by others. Looking at your motivation will help you to understand what is important to you personally and what you expect from your involvement. This will help you look for suitable sports projects and prepare yourself for what to expect on site.
It is important to understand that volunteering is not only an opportunity to help others, but also a valuable learning and personal development experience.
Your preparation and organisation before the sports trip
Before going abroad as a volunteer, you should find out as much as possible about the country, its culture and conditions. Good preparation and organisation before your trip with COACH ABROAD is very important to avoid unpleasant surprises.
This includes, for example, obtaining the appropriate visa, health care and vaccinations against certain diseases. You should also find out about the climate in your area. Exercising in 30°C and high humidity in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa will feel different to the rainy north.
Find out about dress codes so you can dress appropriately and adapt to cultural customs, especially in Muslim countries such as Tanzania or regional areas such as Bo-Kaap in Cape Town.
You will also need to think about accommodation, meals and the hours you will need to work on the project. COACH ABROAD not only arranges projects abroad, but also helps you to find suitable accommodation. It is also advisable to plan a budget for excursions and leisure activities outside the project.
Good preparation will give you confidence and make it easier for you to start your life as a volunteer abroad. In this way, you can help disadvantaged children and young people in sports projects with a clear conscience and without having to worry too much. The children will thank you.
Your arrival in a new (foreign) country: first impressions coupled with culture shock
Living abroad as a volunteer sports coach with COACH ABROAD is a wonderful experience, but it can also be fraught with challenges and difficulties.
One of the biggest difficulties for many volunteers is the culture shock they experience on arrival. The cultural differences between a new country and your home country can be overwhelming and it can take some time to adjust to a new way of life.
After you have prepared intensively for your volunteering abroad, you have finally arrived. Even if you have visited the country before on holiday, the first impressions of living with a host family in an unfamiliar environment can be overwhelming.
It is not uncommon to experience culture shock.
You will quickly realise that life in a poor community is different from what you may have known before. People are open-hearted and friendly, but poverty, crime and the challenges of daily life are also evident. The streets can be packed with people, old cars struggling through constant traffic jams, or wild animals crossing your path. So it can be noisy and chaotic. Or, depending on where you are, it can be quiet and spacious.
But that’s part of the charm. You will adapt quickly and learn how to navigate your new environment. The project mentors, as well as your host family, will help you find your way around your new home and teach you about the challenges of everyday life. Even for athletes like you with the right mentality and the will to win, there will be moments when you feel overwhelmed or even homesick. But that’s part of it.
Be open to new experiences and let yourself be inspired by the environment, the people, the culture. And last but not least, by the happy children and young people who will experience a change in their sometimes dull everyday lives through your work as a sports volunteer. The more you get involved, the more you will benefit from your time abroad.
Your life as a sports volunteer: accommodation and meals
Living abroad as a volunteer not only means getting involved in a new culture and environment, but also adapting to the local conditions.
Accommodation and food can be a challenge as they are often basic and not up to the standards you are used to in your home country. However, despite these challenges, there are many opportunities for personal growth and intercultural exchange. Accommodation varies from project to project and organisation to organisation.
Some projects offer host families or shared flats, while others offer dormitories or simple huts. At COACH ABROAD we make every effort to check accommodation for you in advance and to speak to host families. In general, we try to work with the project to give volunteers the opportunity to stay with local families or individuals. This is the best way for you to immerse yourself in the culture and community. Not only do you help on the ground, but you become part of the community and experience local life first hand, with all its vibrancy and warmth, as well as its challenges.
At the same time, you can build a direct connection to the project and a good atmosphere with your protégés. The type of meals provided will also depend on the country and project. In most cases, meals are provided by the host family, while other organisations offer volunteers the opportunity to cook for themselves. Sometimes only breakfast is provided, while other projects offer full board.
Food varies from country to country and region to region. Tasty curries, porridge, more meat or fish, maybe halal or beans and vegetarian, sweet potatoes for breakfast or just masala tea and toast – it all depends on the region and the host family’s personal preferences. Here too, the rule is to familiarise yourself with the local customs first. You may discover culinary delights that will stay with you for a lifetime.
But your host family will also know that not every European stomach is made for local food. Personal preferences and special diets can be accommodated with simple communication. Or simply cook a delicious dish from your home country for your host family. It’s all about cultural exchange and learning from each other.
The importance of your sports volunteering to the local community
In many African countries, physical education has a low status.
Living and working abroad as a volunteer provides you with a unique opportunity to get to know the local community while actively participating in their sporting development. As an athlete, you know how important sport is for the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional development of children and young people.
Volunteering can have a huge impact on the lives of local children and young people and you should not underestimate its importance. By getting involved in social community projects, you can use your sporting expertise and commitment to help build local initiatives, support ambitious coaches and teachers in their work and make a lasting positive contribution to your community.
Helping people to help themselves is also the motto here. You can help strengthen local sports programmes and make them accessible to more children.
Your flexibility in terms of working hours and working conditions
Different countries, different customs. So you can be sure that the way of organising, communicating and understanding time, or should we say serenity, is different from country to country.
Let yourself go and observe first. How people communicate, what they talk about, how they greet each other. Even the concept of time can be different. You may be used to being ready 5 minutes before time, but at a training session the children arrive one by one, or the tournament is supposed to start at 9 a.m., but they do not set up until then. Stay true to yourself and your principles, but also stay calm when things go differently. It takes a lot of patience and flexibility to adapt to new working conditions.
Your working hours as a sports volunteer will vary a lot, depending on the project and its needs. Some projects require a full-time commitment from Monday to Friday, while others allow for more flexible working hours or are only active a few days a week. Bear in mind that some projects are set up by ambitious coaches or change-makers who want to improve the lives of young people in their community through recreational sport. Sometimes the projects are very well structured or still in the process of being “sympathetically” uncoordinated.
But this also gives you the opportunity to help shape them. Despite the challenges, life as a sports volunteer is also a chance to gain valuable experience and grow personally.
Intercultural exchange with the local people and learning about their traditions, customs and practices
Living abroad as a sports trainer not only means adjusting to a new environment and working conditions, but also getting to know the local culture and traditions.
An important aspect of this is intercultural exchange with the locals. On a COACH ABROAD project, you will usually live with a host family directly in the communities. Not only are family cultures and interactions different from your home country, but there will also be different rules, requirements and behaviours in your temporary home. Working with local people will give you an insight into their way of life, their way of thinking and their values. This can be enriching, but also challenging and unfamiliar. It requires openness and respect, as well as a willingness to overcome your own prejudices.
Although you will have your own personal freedom, you will still be part of a family. This may include parents, grandparents, children, siblings and many other family members in the same house.
When you get home in the evening after a day of sports with children and young people, you might just want to go to bed. Or maybe you just want to have a beer after work and chat with your friends. Unfortunately, alcohol may not be tolerated in your family or community. What do you do? Do you sneak around, arrange to meet somewhere else or communicate openly? Such an everyday example is also part of the experience of a cultural exchange.
Understanding and tolerance run on two tracks. In many countries, for example, patriarchal attitudes have always been the order of the day. Roles and a predetermined life for girls and women are often traditions. This is also part of tolerance on your part. Respect local traditions, customs and family and community practices.
You cannot save the world or make it your own. Remember that values and lifestyles vary. Some customs have a purpose that may not be immediately obvious to you. Take part in local festivals and events, go on picnics with your host family, arrange to meet other locals from your sports project to gain a deeper understanding. Intercultural knowledge, learning and exchange is a two-way street.
Personal growth through volunteering
Volunteering with sports projects not only provides an opportunity to support the local community in its quest for greater sustainability, but also to grow personally.
Volunteering can help to build your confidence, develop your personality and learn new skills. Even as an experienced and structured coach or expert in your sport, working in a different culture can require flexibility and adaptability, which in turn builds your own resilience. You can also gain valuable interpersonal experience through your involvement in volunteering.
Team spirit is an essential part of sport. But partnership, comradely behavior and a good sense of togetherness also need to be constantly cultivated. By interacting with local people, you can not only develop intercultural skills, but also learn new perspectives for yourself.
In your free time, you could attend traditional Maasai dance and music performances in Kenya or visit the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. You may learn a new language, Zulu or Xhosa, during your time in a community in eastern South Africa. Or you may be so moved by the disadvantaged lives of others that you become actively involved in social work.
Much depends on your openness to the unfamiliar. Getting to know new aspects can be an enrichment for your own life, which you can also use at home after your voluntary work abroad with COACH ABROAD. Maybe not necessarily speaking Xhosa, but generally looking at things in your home country with a different, reflected perspective.
In summary, by volunteering abroad you are not only helping other people, you are also broadening your own horizons. At the end of the day, you will be proud of what you have achieved, not only in supporting others in their efforts to provide sustainable work with children and young people, but also in what you have gained for yourself. The experiences you gain as a Sports Volunteer abroad will stay with you for a lifetime and help you to develop personally and professionally.
So don't hesitate any longer and start your volunteer sports coaching adventure abroad with COACH ABROAD!
